This invention relates to aircraft wheel assemblies and more particularly to aircraft wheel assemblies employing interleaved rotors and stators.
The rotating brake discs, referred to as rotors, are coupled to the rotating wheel of the aircraft while the nonrotating brake discs, referred to as stators, are coupled to the nonrotating axle support. Frictional interaction of the stators and rotors provides a braking action which is resisted by the supporting structure between the stators and the fixed axle which is commonly referred to as a torque tube. For maximum efficiency it is desirable to use as many stators and rotors as practical in the space available to insure maximum braking efficiency. The present invention improves on the existing brake assembly by utilizing more effectively the torque tube's back plate and its support of the braking disc. Carbon brake stator discs are normally keyed on their inner periphery to the splines of the torque tube for torque load reaction. This invention provides for a reliable torque reaction point on the non-wearing side of the carbon end stator adjacent to the torque tube back plate at the mean brake radius. Moving the torque reaction point away from the inner disc periphery allows the use of a generous radius in the juncture between the torque tube and its back plate. This feature reduces weight, simplifies machining, and allows better utilization of the brake well volume.